I found that the best thing for me to stop smoking pot was to stop smoking cigarettes. I honestly didn't do it with the intent to stop smoking pot it just kinda happened. I am 33 and smoked for more than half my life. While my friends went out to the bars to get drunk I stayed home and got high and watched movies. This past winter I decided to quit smoking cigarettes and used weed as my crutch. Everytime I wanted a cigarette I smoked a one hitter instead because it was so similar to a cigarette. As my need got less and less so did my need for weed. It was an amazing difference for me because for years I was a super b***h if I didn't have pot and now I honestly don't need it. It feels so good to be free of this and weed will no longer control my life :-)
happyhousewife, that's interesting to hear about how you used weed to quit cigarettes. For most of the people here, myself included, we find it much harder to quit the weed! I might have a cigarette here and there, but I never crave it like weed. No other drug has the tenacity, for me, of marijuana. And I'm sure it changes from person to person. I'd more likely smoke cigarettes to replace weed than vice versa. Strange how the mind works...
I think the weirdest part is it was never my intent to quit smoking pot. I love marijuana and it definitely took up a huge part of my life. I used to budget my bills around my need because I had to have it, at least a quarter a week. If I didn't have it I was prone to emotional break downs and acting really mean. Now I can still smoke socially without being addicted. Ever since I quit smoking cigarettes my need is gone and it feels so good. I always thought I would be a pothead till the day I died, who knew giving up one addiction would lead to another.....
The funny this is, I don't want to quit. I enjoy smoking pot. I'm on prozac and clonopin, and they don't do enough for me. I was miserable and hated my job..until I started smoking. I NEVER smoke during work, but I am a heavy after-work smoker. I want to quit for purely financial reasons..because honestly, the pot is what's keeping me sane...but I can't afford it.
I don't know what to do.
I don't know what to do.
I love it man. This is a good help. I'm on the process of quiting right now. & so far so good!
thank you so much. weed has messed up my academic career, and these tips will surely help!
Day 3...no weed. Woke up in a pool of sweat and peed myself a little. I think this was the pot of mint tea I drank before bed. Never heard of the pee thing before but I figured since I was soaked in sweat it was part of the deal. Just assumed I was sick. Day 4 woke up crying and continued to do so all day. (Today) Laying there wondering what the hell is wrong with me?! Suddenly realized, "Duh! Pot withdrawal!" Googled said phrase and found this blog. Thank you. Immediately reached out to an old friend for support and am not so freaked out. I can do this! Good luck to anyone trying to quit. I have been asking for gods help on this one for awhile and finally my window of oppurtunity opened and I jumped. I have not gone this long without in many many years. I knew all I needed was one day to get me started and it finally came. My social life is screwed. My self esteem is in the toilet. I keep waiting to grow up and I'm 44! I look forward to facing reality. I'm ready. Like I said...Good Luck! Find a friend to lean on for emotional support. Most important, open up to spirituality and ask your God for help!
I would not normally do this , but I think that i need some kind of outlet. I am now 50 years old .I have been smoking daily since I was15years old .I think that that is 35 years .My lungs and brain are toast!!!. Like everyone it started as a fun thing . then I mixed it with drinking and other drugs as I got older teens and twenties.I could do no wrong. As I got older I got away from the other drugs and drinking. but always felt that if pot was all I did then that was OK. I have owned my own company for 25 years. probably to avoid drug test that the other companies would have given me.I had two children when I was in my twenties I Thought that if all they did was pot then i was alright with that Well my daughter did nothing.But my son got hooked on pot as well but I did not see the problem. I may have been the cause.But enough of that When I was young I was a heavy smoker I would buy a ounce a week and party all week before school after school spent most of my teens in the fog My education suffered. I never lost a job because of it because i needed a job to get the weed.I made it my reward for work.I believed that I would do this for the rest of my life. never thought about what I was doing to my body.as I got older I concealed it more smoking by myself I have a bad temper and used it to control it.I now feel that pot has kept me being the the person I could have been.Now my business is failing not because of the pot but the economy and I need to get a real job . I do not really get high off of the pot anymore I just use it to keep me normal It has been so long that I have not been high that I do not know the real me .
Well I decided to quit the other day 2/17/11 cold turky still have some left it is in my box .calling me it was my friend for so many years this is day 4 not doing so well a lot of different stuff going on anxiety ,headache,sweating and wondering why quit now .but I feel I have to I do not feel I will be the same person. I Really do not have any advice right now.other than do not wait as long as i did stay away from temptation at the start and ask GOD for help in your time of need.
good luck and GOD BLESS
Well I decided to quit the other day 2/17/11 cold turky still have some left it is in my box .calling me it was my friend for so many years this is day 4 not doing so well a lot of different stuff going on anxiety ,headache,sweating and wondering why quit now .but I feel I have to I do not feel I will be the same person. I Really do not have any advice right now.other than do not wait as long as i did stay away from temptation at the start and ask GOD for help in your time of need.
good luck and GOD BLESS
Hi there,
I wanted to thank you all for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I've always found it hard to listen to people trying to give me advice when they've never been even a light toker. Having said that, I never made the effort to seek out helpful information, surely because I didn't want to face my addiction.
Please bear with me through this, I've never been very good at using few words to get my story/point across and today I feel like I have a lot to say. Probably something to do with anxiety and not a great deal of schooling, all of this next part I feel is kind of important for me to convey..
A small part of me has wanted to stop for a while now, and I loathe my anxiety and depression problems, which are so intertwined that I hardly know which is which at times. Mental health has been a quest of mine for so long.. since I can remember, really.
I think a big part of the trouble for me, which I hadn't realized for a long time, is that I was a gifted child who suffered mental health issues and socially as a result. I had many a break-down and barely attended a year of school past the age of 11. I used up all my sick excuses and it was getting my Mum in trouble with the education department (even though she is a great Mother and drove me there every day, sometimes more than 2-3 times a day, but didn't want to push me in there whilst in tears and lose me to suicide which I now know was a constant worry on her mind).
I started literally making myself ill with random concoctions of medications I knew nothing about, so I could go home. After a while everyone twigged that something was very wrong, and I continued to be pushed to go maybe 1 or 2 days every week until I quit entirely around my 15th birthday at the beginning of the school year, as I felt I couldn't handle life any longer and just wanted to sleep 18-20 hours a day, or die.
I had smoked weed a couple of times by that stage, but only a puff on a pipe.. mostly out of curiosity.
After a couple of years I was able to leave my room for short periods for reasons other than hygiene and whatever, and I started battling between wanting to be better, and thinking it was a hopeless mess. Another year or so passes and my older brother starts having parties at the house, and I was given enormous encouragement to join in by Mum, who was hoping it might be a bit therapeutic.
-This- is when I started smoking weed.
Smoking weed carried the illusion of helping me in many ways, because I got immediate gratification instead of getting to the nitty-gritty of my problems.
#1: It made boredom tolerable to me. I was quite happy to simply sit there and do next to nothing.
#2: Initially it helped me with the physical and mental aspects of anxiety..a racing mind and especially, the negative emotions I didn't want to feel, which made it easier to relax, sleep and socialize (not only because of its' depressant nature, but because it gave me something to have in common with others).
#3: It enabled me to laugh a lot, which I loved.
I have come a long way, but the tricky thing it seems about weed is that you don't tend to notice yourself becoming a different person. I personally lost my ambition and interest years before I became a heavy toker, but I know now that the case for a lot of people is that they lose it -after- having smoked for a few years, and often don't clue in to the fact that it's the weed doing it to them.
After a while I started to realize all of the people I knew were stoners, too, and all of them with facades, none happy with their lives. It doesn't calm me all the time any more.. in fact, it incites a paranoid/anxious attack, quite often. I feel like a boring person and that was something that always bothered me. I used weed to help me socialize, and yet after a while I had nothing to offer to the conversation. It doesn't stop me fidgeting constantly anymore. The constant sleep disturbances were awful. I hadn't moved forward, and the stupid thing is, I started to think it was all just a part of my anxiety disorder, and not the weed. I gave up on anti-depressants/anxieties.
It's not until I unwillingly went without it for, I suppose, 2 weeks? That I felt -so- much better. Suddenly not being able to handle the boredom again meant I needed something to do, and I started wishing I had some things to learn about or improve upon. I spent more time with my parents, I volunteered to help my Dad with physical work, I started walking my dog and training her a new trick, and I started walking on my own again which I used to always love when I was younger, but was too paranoid of to actually do. I spent much less time in the shed or watching TV. I cooked more, I cleaned more and I chose to make appointments and stick to them. During this time I came to hear of a blood pressure medication that might help me with my physical symptoms of anxiety. Instead of mulling and mulling, I decided to actually just go and -ask- my doctor, and it made such a difference.
That's a totally different me. And I -still- didn't realize it was the marijuana inhibiting my life way more than it had been otherwise. It's not until I bought weed again that I noticed the huge backward change in myself. I reverted after the first cone. Spending all my time in my room or watching TV shows I'd seen a billion times, passing in and out of sleep on my bed, half listening to documentaries. The contrast was so great that I couldn't help but notice, I couldn't help but actually look forward to the end of the stick-bag so I could return to making my parents and myself proud. Back to being happy and enjoying the prospect of a future that I once couldn't even imagine.
A HUGE thing occurred to me in those 2 days; I'm not beyond repair and I have improved way more than I ever give myself credit for. Weed was the thing not only slowing my progress but hiding the progress I had made.
I just got back from spending 4 days away with my parents, and I've been trying to hone in on what I actually think and feel and I've been having the odd manic period, and the sleep has been rather vivid and awful, but it's worth it.
For me and anyone in a similar situation, I highly recommend going away on holiday for a while if you possibly can. You're away from contacts and holidays excite most people.. make the effort to plan a few things you want to see and go do them. I understand now that physical exercise and mental stimulation are the true keys to quitting weed for good and changing my life around entirely.
Now that you've read a novel today you should go pat yourself on the back, lol.
-Megan
I wanted to thank you all for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I've always found it hard to listen to people trying to give me advice when they've never been even a light toker. Having said that, I never made the effort to seek out helpful information, surely because I didn't want to face my addiction.
Please bear with me through this, I've never been very good at using few words to get my story/point across and today I feel like I have a lot to say. Probably something to do with anxiety and not a great deal of schooling, all of this next part I feel is kind of important for me to convey..
A small part of me has wanted to stop for a while now, and I loathe my anxiety and depression problems, which are so intertwined that I hardly know which is which at times. Mental health has been a quest of mine for so long.. since I can remember, really.
I think a big part of the trouble for me, which I hadn't realized for a long time, is that I was a gifted child who suffered mental health issues and socially as a result. I had many a break-down and barely attended a year of school past the age of 11. I used up all my sick excuses and it was getting my Mum in trouble with the education department (even though she is a great Mother and drove me there every day, sometimes more than 2-3 times a day, but didn't want to push me in there whilst in tears and lose me to suicide which I now know was a constant worry on her mind).
I started literally making myself ill with random concoctions of medications I knew nothing about, so I could go home. After a while everyone twigged that something was very wrong, and I continued to be pushed to go maybe 1 or 2 days every week until I quit entirely around my 15th birthday at the beginning of the school year, as I felt I couldn't handle life any longer and just wanted to sleep 18-20 hours a day, or die.
I had smoked weed a couple of times by that stage, but only a puff on a pipe.. mostly out of curiosity.
After a couple of years I was able to leave my room for short periods for reasons other than hygiene and whatever, and I started battling between wanting to be better, and thinking it was a hopeless mess. Another year or so passes and my older brother starts having parties at the house, and I was given enormous encouragement to join in by Mum, who was hoping it might be a bit therapeutic.
-This- is when I started smoking weed.
Smoking weed carried the illusion of helping me in many ways, because I got immediate gratification instead of getting to the nitty-gritty of my problems.
#1: It made boredom tolerable to me. I was quite happy to simply sit there and do next to nothing.
#2: Initially it helped me with the physical and mental aspects of anxiety..a racing mind and especially, the negative emotions I didn't want to feel, which made it easier to relax, sleep and socialize (not only because of its' depressant nature, but because it gave me something to have in common with others).
#3: It enabled me to laugh a lot, which I loved.
I have come a long way, but the tricky thing it seems about weed is that you don't tend to notice yourself becoming a different person. I personally lost my ambition and interest years before I became a heavy toker, but I know now that the case for a lot of people is that they lose it -after- having smoked for a few years, and often don't clue in to the fact that it's the weed doing it to them.
After a while I started to realize all of the people I knew were stoners, too, and all of them with facades, none happy with their lives. It doesn't calm me all the time any more.. in fact, it incites a paranoid/anxious attack, quite often. I feel like a boring person and that was something that always bothered me. I used weed to help me socialize, and yet after a while I had nothing to offer to the conversation. It doesn't stop me fidgeting constantly anymore. The constant sleep disturbances were awful. I hadn't moved forward, and the stupid thing is, I started to think it was all just a part of my anxiety disorder, and not the weed. I gave up on anti-depressants/anxieties.
It's not until I unwillingly went without it for, I suppose, 2 weeks? That I felt -so- much better. Suddenly not being able to handle the boredom again meant I needed something to do, and I started wishing I had some things to learn about or improve upon. I spent more time with my parents, I volunteered to help my Dad with physical work, I started walking my dog and training her a new trick, and I started walking on my own again which I used to always love when I was younger, but was too paranoid of to actually do. I spent much less time in the shed or watching TV. I cooked more, I cleaned more and I chose to make appointments and stick to them. During this time I came to hear of a blood pressure medication that might help me with my physical symptoms of anxiety. Instead of mulling and mulling, I decided to actually just go and -ask- my doctor, and it made such a difference.
That's a totally different me. And I -still- didn't realize it was the marijuana inhibiting my life way more than it had been otherwise. It's not until I bought weed again that I noticed the huge backward change in myself. I reverted after the first cone. Spending all my time in my room or watching TV shows I'd seen a billion times, passing in and out of sleep on my bed, half listening to documentaries. The contrast was so great that I couldn't help but notice, I couldn't help but actually look forward to the end of the stick-bag so I could return to making my parents and myself proud. Back to being happy and enjoying the prospect of a future that I once couldn't even imagine.
A HUGE thing occurred to me in those 2 days; I'm not beyond repair and I have improved way more than I ever give myself credit for. Weed was the thing not only slowing my progress but hiding the progress I had made.
I just got back from spending 4 days away with my parents, and I've been trying to hone in on what I actually think and feel and I've been having the odd manic period, and the sleep has been rather vivid and awful, but it's worth it.
For me and anyone in a similar situation, I highly recommend going away on holiday for a while if you possibly can. You're away from contacts and holidays excite most people.. make the effort to plan a few things you want to see and go do them. I understand now that physical exercise and mental stimulation are the true keys to quitting weed for good and changing my life around entirely.
Now that you've read a novel today you should go pat yourself on the back, lol.
-Megan
ITS A HUGE JOY TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE QUIT IT SUCCESSFULLY I HAVE BEEN SMOKIN FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS EVERYDAY AROUND 10 TO 15 JOINS ONLY THE BEST GRADE + I WENT INTO PILL POPPIN FRENZY + ALCOHOL ABUSE FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS IV BEEN OFF IT I THINK GOD INTERVIENED N I JUST THREW IT OFF MY LIFE EVERYTHING MY JOB IS VERY DELICATE AN HAS A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY I WAS RISKING GOIN TO JAIL AND I THANK GOD IT DINT COME TO THAT LIFE IS NEW I KINDA LOST ALL MY FRIENDS N I DONT WANA GO BACK N APOLOGISE FOR BEIN A DIK I THINK EVERY 1 IS RESPONSIBLE ONLY TO THE,MSELVES IM LIVIN EACH DAY NEW I V LOST A LOT OF MEMORY I KEEP BUMPIN IN2 PEOLE WHO KNO ME BUT I DONT REMEMBER THEM THINS WILL CHANGE IM SURE THE LAST 2 WEEKS HAVE BEEN BEAUTIFUL I THINK IF ANY1 READS THIS JUST KEEP IN MIND 1 THING I KNO WEED MAKES A DULL PICTURE BRIGHT BUT WATS THE USE IF U CANT REMEMBER IT VIVIDLY
I feel thankful that I found this site. I, like most of you, have smoked herb for many years (@18) now and I know it is past time to stop. What started as a fun thing to do when hanging out with friends, has become a daily habit that I do alone. I smoke between 4-5 times a day(bong) or approximately 1 oz a week. I don't know how much that is in other states, but in TX that is about $250 a month. To some of you that may not be much, but to me that is FAR too much. That is only one of the reasons I need to quit.
I have two very young boys, and I am disgraced by having to go out to the garage several times a day just to function. I may try to hide it from my boys, but they can smell. Before too long, they will know what that smell is and it will all clique to them. My biggest fear is them entering the mindset that if it's OK for my daddy, then it must be OK for me. I feel that it's more than just a bad habbit, it's a kind of disease that I just can't get better from. Do I want my kids going down that same path? HELL NO! Truly, smoking has done nothing positive for me, yet I am still addicted. I always crave it and panic when I am running low. Needless to say, I tend to get grumpy when weed is getting low.
Somehow I have managed to stay out of trouble, stay employed (under-employed), receive a degree, and maintaing rental properties. But the truth be told, I never feel like doing much other than staying at home getting high. That is not the way you want to be when raising children. A dad should want to do everything w/their kids, and take them to all sorts of places. They deserve that! In a way, I feel selfish for needing to smoke all the time and spending so much $ on herb. Thankfully, I don't drink or do any other types of drugs, but pot has proven to be my nemisis in regards to not being able to stop.
I work a part time job because I can't find a good full time job that I think would be a good match. I believe it is in part because weed makes me want to do NOTHING. And then when I do find an interesting opportunity, there is a urine test required. So I start going through all the standard ways of getting around a urine test from Orange-dot to Certo. I truly feel like I am on the Marijuana treadmill and I am making no progress. I am tired of feeling like this; and I would like to see what my true capabilities are without being mentally distorted by the THC fog that I'm in. I am ready to STOP!
I have two very young boys, and I am disgraced by having to go out to the garage several times a day just to function. I may try to hide it from my boys, but they can smell. Before too long, they will know what that smell is and it will all clique to them. My biggest fear is them entering the mindset that if it's OK for my daddy, then it must be OK for me. I feel that it's more than just a bad habbit, it's a kind of disease that I just can't get better from. Do I want my kids going down that same path? HELL NO! Truly, smoking has done nothing positive for me, yet I am still addicted. I always crave it and panic when I am running low. Needless to say, I tend to get grumpy when weed is getting low.
Somehow I have managed to stay out of trouble, stay employed (under-employed), receive a degree, and maintaing rental properties. But the truth be told, I never feel like doing much other than staying at home getting high. That is not the way you want to be when raising children. A dad should want to do everything w/their kids, and take them to all sorts of places. They deserve that! In a way, I feel selfish for needing to smoke all the time and spending so much $ on herb. Thankfully, I don't drink or do any other types of drugs, but pot has proven to be my nemisis in regards to not being able to stop.
I work a part time job because I can't find a good full time job that I think would be a good match. I believe it is in part because weed makes me want to do NOTHING. And then when I do find an interesting opportunity, there is a urine test required. So I start going through all the standard ways of getting around a urine test from Orange-dot to Certo. I truly feel like I am on the Marijuana treadmill and I am making no progress. I am tired of feeling like this; and I would like to see what my true capabilities are without being mentally distorted by the THC fog that I'm in. I am ready to STOP!
Wow, this was an incredible thread. I am also trying to "embark on this journey" as many of you say. I am almost 20 years old and have been smoking since I was 15, every day since I was about 16. I am addicted to weed. You can laugh if you want, I laughed before too, but I know that I am addicted. It is all in my mind, however. Like someone posted before, when I am at college or work, I do not want to smoke it AS MUCH (still do lol) but when I come home from a stressful day at school, it is the first thing that I want to do. I have been smoking 6 bong hits per day, and have gradually cut down to 4, 3, 2, and now 1. I came to the conclusion that I need to stop because IT IS affecting my health. Yesterday night I took a bong and started panicking for some reason.. I felt my heart was beating alot harder than when I am sober (once again, could be all in my mind), and decided that life is nothing to play with. Although THC is said to have 0 toxins and 0 carcinogens, the plant matter definitely does. I want to stop smoking because I want to increase my health, simply. Obviously saving money would be great, but health is MOST important, not even "more" important. I am very successful in college (4.0 GPA), although I barely passed high school and was expelled from 3 schools. It took me 4 schools to graduate and I do not know how, but I did. Why am I telling you this you might ask? Weed was the single reason why. I would skip class to smoke, come to class high and not pay attention, and just think about the next time I can smoke. I can tell you that it IS addicting once you are a daily smoker.
I'm experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as stomach aches (more-so uncomfort, anxiousness in my stomach), anxiety, and stressing over the fact that I can't simply JUST STOP. It's pathetic.. I never thought I would get to this point because I would always brush sh*t off like it was nothing, and always telling people "It's not addictive, man!"
It is addictive, and I think your first step is to realize you have a problem.
Lastly, I would just like to thank all of you who posted previous to me. Your posts have helped me as this is really hard for me and it is nice to know that you are not alone in this process (that people seem to shrug off like it is nothing). Thank you for inspiring me to post and I hope that I helped somebody in SOME way or another.
God bless, be strong.
You can do it, Charlie Sheen said so. :-D
I'm experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as stomach aches (more-so uncomfort, anxiousness in my stomach), anxiety, and stressing over the fact that I can't simply JUST STOP. It's pathetic.. I never thought I would get to this point because I would always brush sh*t off like it was nothing, and always telling people "It's not addictive, man!"
It is addictive, and I think your first step is to realize you have a problem.
Lastly, I would just like to thank all of you who posted previous to me. Your posts have helped me as this is really hard for me and it is nice to know that you are not alone in this process (that people seem to shrug off like it is nothing). Thank you for inspiring me to post and I hope that I helped somebody in SOME way or another.
God bless, be strong.
You can do it, Charlie Sheen said so. :-D
Thanks for everyone's comments and feelings. I've smoked about 16 years. I started late in life really after college and well into my 20's(wierd i know) I don't smoke much typically a quarter will last me a week or more. During a vaction or time off work I'll burn my fair share - alone. My wife doesn't smoke never has never will thank God. So when the bag gets low, I freak out. Get nice and grumpy yeah we all know the feeling - What no wake and bake this Sunday?? It's discusting really. I've got a 2 year old baby girl kills me to think she could one day say "My Daddy smokes the ganga so can I" WTF is going on with this evil weed. It screws up your mind and lungs. Not to mention IT'S ILLEGAL and sooner or later I will get popped buying or having it on me or some kind of c**p. I'll be checking back in this is a great forum. I need to be accountable to someone/thing this may work well cuz I'm addicted to smoking pot and that's a bad thing in my otherwise good life. Tried to quit several times but it can cycle as many of you know,
This is an amazing site, I've kept popping it up to read over the past few weeks. It has made me realise that I'm not the only middle aged woman struggling with a weed habit. Like everybody else I keep it together, work, family blah blah blah. BUT my life really revolves around weed.....when I'm at work at the end of the day I'm planning when I can get my first smoke in (I have to 'hide' it from my son etc.) When with non smoking friends/family I'm wondering how long I have to stay. Let alone thinking about the cost both financially and emotionally. ....I started smoking it in my late 20s I'm now 45 and still at it.....I really want to stop, I would love to hear your tips on how to begin, and for me how to stay off smoking. I can go a week or so and it doesn't feel too bad, sometimes it feels good (it's taken me ages to admit I'm addicted because of this). BUT I always end up getting some more and the cycle continues!.....What the hell is wrong with me?..
hello this is also the first time i have replied online to anyone and i must say that in my professional opinion, no withdrawals come from smoking marijuana. That would litterally be impossible because there is no addictive substance in it. however i do not doubt many of you are suffering from a placebo effect and may need to dig deep within yourselves to get out of this stoop you are in. i have smoked close to an 8 everyday and have quit many times due to colds or anything that would worsen my bodies proper healing and let me tell you, absolutely no repercussions came of this such as withdrawals. i would hope anyone who post something like your message would research your thoughts and opinions before posting them for everyone to see, good luck to all of you suffering from your withdrawals.